Motor vehicle rear seat

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle rear seat with a seat part ( 2 ), having an upper side ( 4 ), and a seat back ( 6 ), having a rear side ( 12 ), which faces a clearance behind said motor vehicle rear seat. Said seat back ( 6 ) has at least one seat back section ( 8 ). According to the invention, said seat back section ( 8 ) is designed, such that it can be pivoted from a normal position to a first position, in which the rear side ( 12 ) of the seat back section ( 8 ) is oriented upwards and, with the upwards-oriented rear side ( 12 ), to a second position in the clearance behind the motor vehicle rear seat, such that the upper side ( 4 ) of the seat part ( 2 ) and the rear side ( 12 ) of the seat back section ( 8 ) form a loading area. Preferably, a loading plate ( 18 ), hinged on said seat back section ( 8 ), can be pivoted onto the upper side ( 4 ) of the seat part ( 2 ) in the second position of the seat back section ( 8 ).

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle rear seat according tothe precharacterizing clause of patent claim 1.

Motor vehicle rear seats which offer the option of providing anadditional loading area adjoining the luggage compartment situatedbehind them are known from the prior art. They are used primarily inminibuses, vans, etc., but also in basic passenger vehicles. So that theadditionally provided loading area is situated essentially level withthe luggage compartment floor, it is necessary for the seat to beconstructed to be as flat as possible in its loading position. Theupholstered seat part of the rear seat causes problems in this regard,since it is in the way of the backrest when the latter is foldedforward.

To solve this problem, rear seats have been developed, in which, beforethe backrest is folded forward, the seat part can be removed from thefolding region. Constructions of this type are described, for example,in the publications DE 43 40 446 C2 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,496. In theabove-mentioned rear seats, there is generally the problem that theseparate seat parts, after being removed, have to be accommodatedloosely somewhere else.

Further known rear seat constructions make provision for the entire rearseat to be pivoted forward about a transverse axis arranged on thevehicle floor in the front region of the seat part, thus producing anadditional loading area where the rear seat previously was arranged. Aconstruction of this type is disclosed, for example, in DE 28 49 985 A1and DE 44 22 920 A1. The disadvantage of this construction residesessentially in the fact that although the loading area is enlarged bythe pivoting, a very large free space is in turn lost somewhere else,namely at the location into which the entire rear seat has been pivoted.

The prior art furthermore discloses solutions, in which the seat partcan be lowered in order then to fold the backrest onto the lowered seatpart. In some constructions, provision is furthermore made to combinethe lowering movement of the seat part with the folding movement of thebackrest in order to simplify operation. Constructions of theabove-mentioned type are disclosed, for example, by the publications DE199 57 380 and DE 199 04 009.

The motor vehicle rear seats known from the prior art have thedisadvantage that they require a complicated construction, can bedifficult to operate and incur high production costs.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a motorvehicle rear seat which is of simple construction and therefore incurslow production costs, with the handling being made easier.

This object is achieved according to the invention with reference to thefeatures specified in patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of theinvention are the subject matter of the subclaims.

The motor vehicle rear seat according to the invention has a seat partand a backrest. The seat part has an upper side, the upper side beingunderstood to mean the upwardly oriented surface on which the passengersits. The backrest has a front side, against which the passenger leans,and a rear side, the rear side facing a free space, normally the luggagecompartment space, behind the motor vehicle rear seat. The backrest hasat least one backrest section. The backrest can therefore be dividedinto a number of parts, i.e. at least two parts, in the longitudinaldirection. If the discussion is of at least one backrest section below,this may also be understood to mean the entire backrest if the backrestis a single component.

According to the invention, at least one backrest section is designed insuch a manner that it can be pivoted from a normal position into a firstposition, in which the rear side of the backrest section is orientedupward. Furthermore, this backrest section can be pivoted, with the rearside oriented upward, into a second position in the free space behindthe motor vehicle seat, so that the upper side of the seat part and therear side of the backrest section form a loading area.

One substantial advantage of the motor vehicle rear seat according tothe invention is that the seat part does not have to be moved at thesame time in order to produce the loading area. This means that the seatpart does not have to be removed, pivoted or lowered, which results in asimpler construction which can be operated in a simple manner and can beproduced cost-effectively. In addition, a further advantage resides inthe fact that the items to be transported are deposited on the rear sideof the backrest section and not on the front side thereof, as is thecase in rear seats in which the backrest is simply pivoted back.

In one preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle rear seat according tothe invention, a loading panel is arranged pivotably on the rear side ofthe backrest section. If the backrest section is pivoted into the secondposition, the loading panel can be pivoted onto the upper side of theseat part. This is advantageous, since the upper side of the seat partis protected by the loading panel from the items to be transported.Soiling or damaging the seat part is thus avoided.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle rear seataccording to the invention, the backrest section has a rear wall and anarm rest. In the normal position of the backrest section, the arm restcan be pivoted onto the upper side of the seat part while the rear wallcan be pivoted into the free space behind the motor vehicle rear seat.This produces a hatch between the free space or luggage compartment andthe passenger compartment. Bulky objects, for example skis, can betransported in this manner, with, at the same time, the possibility ofsitting on the motor vehicle rear seat remaining. In addition, it isalso possible for just the arm rest to be pivoted onto the seat partwhile the rear wall remains in an upright position and closes the hatch,if only the function of the arm rest is to be used. In this case, thepassenger is protected by the rear wall from the objects stored in thefree space or luggage compartment.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the backrestsection can furthermore be pivoted from the normal position into a thirdposition. In this position, the upper side of the seat part and thefront side of the backrest section form a reclining surface, so that aplace to sleep is produced.

In one preferred embodiment, the motor vehicle seat according to theinvention has a pivoting device which, on the one hand, is fastened tothe vehicle floor forming a first pivot axis about which the backrestsection can be pivoted into the second and third position and, on theother hand, is connected to the backrest section forming a second pivotaxis about which the backrest section can be pivoted into the firstposition.

In an advantageous manner, in a further preferred embodiment of themotor vehicle seat, locking means are respectively provided to preventthe pivoting about the first and second pivot axis. This enables thebackrest section to be largely locked in the particular positions.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seataccording to the invention, the pivoting device and the backrest sectioninteract in such a manner that the backrest section, when being pivotedfrom the first position into the second position, can be pivoted merelyin one direction of rotation about the second pivot axis from itsorientation with the rear side oriented upward. This makes it possiblefor the operator to pivot the backrest section in a simple manner fromthe first position into the second position.

The pivoting device of the motor vehicle seat according to the inventionpreferably has a first limb, which is fastened to the vehicle floor, asecond parallel limb, which is connected in an articulated manner to thebackrest section, and a third and fourth limb, which are arrangedparallel to each other and are connected in each case firstly to thefirst limb and secondly to the second limb. Such a design of thepivoting device ensures, inter alia, a particularly lightweightconstruction.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seataccording to the invention, the second limb has a stop element which isguided in a guide, which is arranged about the second pivot axis, in thebackrest section. The stop element and the guide interact in such amanner that the backrest section can be pivoted only in one direction ofrotation about the second pivot axis in its orientation with the rearseat oriented upward. In addition to the lightweight construction of thepivoting device, the simple pivoting of the backrest section from thefirst position into the second position is therefore ensured.

In a further preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according tothe invention, the stop element and the guide interact in such a mannerthat the backrest section, in the normal position, can be pivoted merelyin one direction of rotation about the second pivot axis from itsorientation. This means that a further stop element does not need to beprovided in order to end the movement of the backrest section after ithas been pivoted back from the first position into the normal position.

The invention is explained in greater detail below using exemplaryembodiments with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic side view of the motor vehicle rear seataccording to the invention with the backrest section in the normalposition,

FIG. 2 shows the motor vehicle rear seat of FIG. 1 with the backrestsection in the first position,

FIG. 3 shows the motor vehicle rear seat of FIGS. 1 and 2 with thebackrest section in the second position,

FIG. 4 shows the motor vehicle rear seat of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 withpivoted loading panel,

FIG. 5 shows the motor vehicle rear seat of FIG. 1 with the backrestsection in the third position,

FIG. 6 shows the motor vehicle rear seat of FIG. 1 with pivoted arm restand pivoted rear wall,

FIG. 7 shows a detailed, perspective illustration of the pivoting deviceand of the backrest section of FIG. 1,

FIG. 8 shows a detailed, perspective illustration of the pivoting deviceand of the backrest section of FIG. 2,

FIG. 9 shows a detailed, perspective illustration of the pivoting deviceand of the backrest section of FIG. 3,

FIG. 10 shows a detailed, perspective illustration of the pivotingdevice in the position in FIG. 7, and

FIG. 11 shows a detailed, perspective illustration of the pivotingdevice in the position in FIG. 9.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the motor vehicle rear seat according to theinvention in a diagrammatic illustration. The motor vehicle rear seathas a seat part 2, which is fastened in the motor vehicle and has anupwardly oriented upper side 4 on which a passenger (not illustrated)can sit. Furthermore, a backrest 6 is provided which has at least onebackrest section 8, which is shown in FIG. 1 in the normal position, inwhich the seated passenger can lean against the backrest 6, which isoriented at an angle to the seat part 4. The backrest 6 has a front side10, which faces the passenger, and a rear side 12, which faces a freespace 14 behind the motor vehicle rear seat.

The backrest section 8 is of sandwich-like construction, i.e. it iscomposed of upholstery 8′ on the front side and a rear wall 8″ on therear side. The rear wall 8″ is connected pivotably to the backrestsection 8 via a lower, first joint 16 and extends over the entire heightof the backrest section 8. On the rear side 12 of the backrest section 8and therefore on the rear wall 8″, a loading panel 18 is connectedpivotably to the backrest section 8 via an upper, second joint 20. Theloading panel 18 is designed to be longer than the rear wall 8″, withthe result that it protrudes downward. Both the rear wall 8″ and theloading panel 18 are fastened releasably in their position (illustratedin FIG. 1) relative to the backrest section 8, the illustration of thefastening means having been omitted for reasons concerned with clarity.

A pivoting of the backrest section 8 is made possible by a pivotingdevice 22 which, on the one hand, is fastened to the vehicle floor 24forming a first pivot axis 26 and, on the other hand, is connectedlaterally to the backrest section 8 forming a second pivot axis 28. Inorder to prevent the backrest section 8 from being pivoted out of thenormal position, a first locking means 30 is provided, which is arrangedon the backrest section 8 and is connected releasably to a matingelement 32 on the pivoting device 22, so that a pivoting about thesecond pivot axis 28 is prevented, and a second releasable locking means(not illustrated in FIG. 1) is provided, which is arranged on thepivoting device 22 and prevents a pivoting about the first pivot axis26.

The procedure for providing a loading area is described below withreference to FIGS 1 to 4. First of all, the locking means 30 is releasedfrom the mating element 32, as a result of which a pivoting of thebackrest section 8 in the direction of the arrow A (FIG. 2) is possible.The pivoting from the normal position in another direction of rotationis prevented by the particular design of the pivoting device 22 andbackrest section 8 in the region of the second pivot axis 28. Thepivoting in the direction of the arrow A is carried out as far as anorientation of the backrest section 8, in which the rear side 12 of thebackrest section 8 is oriented upward and the backrest section 8 isarranged essentially parallel to the seat part 2 and the vehicle floor14. In this first position, which is illustrated in FIG. 2, the backrestsection 8 cannot be pivoted further in the direction of the arrow A,which can likewise be attributed to the particular design of thepivoting device 22 and backrest section a in the region of the secondpivot axis 28.

If the backrest section 8 has reached the first position, which isillustrated in FIG. 2, the second locking means (not illustrated) isreleased, so that the backrest section 8 can be pivoted about the firstpivot axis 26. In order to pivot the backrest section 8 in the directionof the arrow B (FIG. 3), the operator has to press the backrest section8 downward in the direction of the vehicle floor 14. In this case, theoperator has merely to exert pressure on the rear side of the backrestsection 8, it being possible for this to take place without any problemin the region in which the second joint 20 is arranged, since, onaccount of the design of the pivoting device 22 and backrest section 8,the backrest section 8 can be pivoted only in one direction of rotationabout the second pivot axis 28 from its orientation with the rear side12 oriented upward. In this manner, the backrest section 8 is pivoteddownward, with the orientation remaining the same, into the secondposition, which is illustrated in FIG. 3.

A loading area is already formed in the second position. In order,however, to protect the upper side 4 of the seat part 2 from the itemsto be transported (not illustrated), the loading panel 18 is pivotedabout the second joint 20 onto the upper side 4 of the seat part 2, asis illustrated in FIG. 4 with reference to the arrow C. In orderultimately to pass back into the position illustrated in FIG. 1, theabove-mentioned steps are carried out in the reverse sequence.

The motor vehicle seat from FIGS. 1 to 4 is illustrated in FIG. 5 withone preferred feature. In order also to provide a reclining surface,such as, for example, a place to sleep, the operator can release thesecond locking means (not illustrated), so that the backrest section 8can be pivoted about the first pivot axis 26 in the direction of thearrow D. The pivoting causes the backrest section to pass into a thirdposition, in which the rear side 12 of the backrest section 8 isoriented downward and the upper side 4 of the seat part 2 and the frontside 10 of the backrest section 8 are arranged essentially in one plane,with the reclining surface being formed. In order for the upper side 4and front side 10 to be arranged as far as possible in one plane, adepression 34 is advantageously provided in the vehicle floor, it beingpossible to produce said depression, for example, by removal of aninsert panel (not illustrated) in the vehicle floor 24, so that the rearwall 8″ and the loading panel 18 can be accommodated in the depression34 in the third position of the backrest section.

The motor vehicle rear seat from FIGS. 1 to 5 is illustrated in FIG. 6with a further preferred feature. In addition to the rear wall 8″, thebackrest section 8 has an arm rest 36 which, in the normal position ofthe backrest section 8, can be folded onto the upper side 4 of the seatpart 2, as can be seen with reference to the arrow E. In this position,the passenger has the possibility of supporting his arm on the arm rest36. In addition, the rear wall 8″ can be pivoted about the joint 16 intothe free space 14 on the vehicle floor 24, as indicated with referenceto the arrow F. This produces a hatch for long stretched-out items to betransported, for example skis, with a possibility for passengers to siton the motor vehicle rear seat continuing to remain.

FIGS. 7 to 11 illustrate individual components of the previouslydescribed motor vehicle rear seat in detail, with the components whichare shown being embodied in an advantageous manner but neverthelessintended to be understood as exemplary, i.e. not limiting.

FIG. 7 illustrates the pivoting device 22 and the backrest section 8 inthe normal position, the backrest section 8 being indicated merelyschematically. The pivoting device 22 has a first limb 38, which isfastened to the vehicle floor 24, and a second parallel limb 40, whichis connected in an articulated manner to the backrest section 8 in orderto form the second pivot axis 28. Furthermore provided are a third limb42 and a fourth limb 44 which are arranged parallel to each other, areidentical in length and are connected in an articulated manner in eachcase firstly to the first limb 38 and secondly to the second limb 40.The four limbs 38, 40, 42, 44 therefore form a parallelogram which hasopposite limbs 38, 40 and 42, 44 of identical length. The connectingpoint between the first and third limbs 38, 42 may be regarded as thefirst pivot axis 26. A pivoting device 22 of this type is also referredto as a “pantograph”.

FIG. 10 shows the pivoting device from FIG. 7 on its own and from adifferent perspective. It can be seen in this perspective that thesecond limb 40 has a stop element 46 which faces the backrest section 8and is guided in the backrest section 8 in a guide which is described ingreater detail with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 10 furthermore illustratesthe second locking means 48 which was omitted in the illustrations ofFIGS. 1 to 5. The second locking means 48 is designed as a pivotablehook which, in the closed position (illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 10),engages behind a second mating element 50, which is arranged fixed onthe fourth limb 44, and therefore prevents a pivoting of the backrestsection 8 about the first pivot axis 26.

In FIG. 8, the pivoting device 22 and backrest section 8 from FIG. 7 areillustrated in the first position of the backrest section 8. The lockingmeans 48 has not been released, and so the backrest section 8 haspivoted only about the second pivot axis 28. The guide 52, which isprovided in the backrest section 8 and into which the stop element 46(FIG. 10) projects, can also be seen in FIG. 8. The guide 52 is designedas a long stretched-out depression which surrounds the second pivot axis28 in the shape of a circular arc. The stop element 46 has been guidedfrom a first stop position 54, which is illustrated by broken lines inFIG. 8, into a second stop position 56 by the backrest section 8pivoting from the normal position into the first position. In the firstposition of the backrest section 8, the backrest section 8 can thereforeonly still be pivoted in one direction of rotation about the secondpivot axis 28.

In order to pivot the backrest section 8 into the second position, whichis illustrated in FIG. 9, the second locking means 48 has to be releasedfrom the second mating element 50, as illustrated in FIG. 11 withreference to the arrow G. The backrest section 8 is then pressed down,i.e. is pivoted about the first pivot axis 26. Owing to theparallelogram-like design of the pivoting device 22, the second limb 40remains in a parallel orientation with respect to the first limb 38, sothat the stop element 46 remains in the second stop position 56. Thismakes the pivoting of the backrest 8 in a parallel orientation withrespect to the vehicle floor 14 easier, since the backrest section 8 canbe pivoted only in one direction of rotation about the second pivot axis28 from its orientation with the rear side 12 oriented upward. Thebackrest section 8 therefore passes into the second position, which isillustrated in FIG. 9, as a result of which a loading area is provided.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the fourth limb 44 of the pivoting device 22is prestressed resiliently toward the vehicle floor 14 by means of aspring element 58, the spring element 58 in the present embodiment beingformed by a tension spring which extends between the first limb 38 andthe fourth limb 44.

1. A motor vehicle rear seat with a seat part (2), which has an upperside (4), and a backrest (6), which has a front side (10) and a rearside (12) which faces a free space behind the motor vehicle rear seat,the backrest (6) having at least one backrest section (8), characterizedin that the backrest section (8) is designed in such a manner that itcan be pivoted from a normal position into a first position, in whichthe rear side (12) of the backrest section (8) is oriented upward, and,furthermore, can be pivoted, with the rear side (12) oriented upward,into a second position in the free space behind the motor vehicle seat,so that the upper side (4) of the seat part (2) and the rear side (12)of the backrest section (8) form a loading area.
 2. The motor vehiclerear seat as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a loading panel(18) is arranged pivotably on the rear side (12) of the backrest section(8) and, in the second position of the backrest section (8), can bepivoted onto the upper side (4) of the seat part (2).
 3. The motorvehicle rear seat as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, characterizedin that the backrest section (8) has a rear wall (8″) and an arm rest(36), it being possible, in the normal position of the backrest section(8), for the arm rest (36) to be pivoted onto the upper side (4) of theseat part (2) and for the rear wall (8″) to be pivoted into the freespace.
 4. The motor vehicle rear seat as claimed in one of the precedingclaims, characterized in that the backrest section (8) can furthermorebe pivoted from the normal position into a third position, in which theupper side (4) of the seat part (2) and the front side (10) of thebackrest section (8) form a reclining surface.
 5. The motor vehicle seatas claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that apivoting device (22) is provided which, on the one hand, is fastened tothe vehicle floor forming a first pivot axis (26) about which thebackrest section (8) can be pivoted into the second and third position,and, on the other hand, is connected to the backrest section (8) forminga second pivot axis (28) about which the backrest section (8) can bepivoted into the first position.
 6. The motor vehicle seat as claimed inclaim 5, characterized in that locking means (30; 48) are respectivelyprovided to prevent the pivoting about the first and second pivot axis(26; 28).
 7. The motor vehicle seat as claimed in either of claims 5 and6, characterized in that the pivoting device (22) and the backrestsection (8) interact in such a manner that the backrest section (8),when being pivoted from the first into the second position, can bepivoted merely in one direction of rotation about the second pivot axis(28) from its orientation with the rear side (12) oriented upward. 8.The motor vehicle seat as claimed in one of claims 5 to 7, characterizedin that the pivoting device (22) has a first limb (38), which isfastened to the vehicle floor, a second parallel limb (40), which isconnected in an articulated manner to the backrest section (8), and athird and fourth limb (42; 44) which are arranged parallel to each otherand are connected in each case firstly to the first limb (38) andsecondly to the second limb (40).
 9. The motor vehicle seat as claimedin claim 8, characterized in that the second limb (40) has a stopelement (46) which is guided in a guide (52), which is arranged aboutthe second pivot axis (28), in the backrest section, the stop element(46) and the guide (52) interacting in such a manner that the backrestsection (8) can be pivoted only in one direction of rotation about thesecond pivot axis (28) in its orientation with the rear side (12)oriented upward.
 10. The motor vehicle seat as claimed in claim 9,characterized in that the stop element (46) and the guide (52) interactin such a manner that the backrest section (8), in the normal position,can be pivoted only in one direction of rotation about the second pivotaxis (28) from its orientation.